Shimofuri

• Grown, sold, and described by Bunny Hop Seeds
• Plant growth: determinate, hanging basket
• Leaf type: variegated regular leaf
• Time to maturity: early-midseason
• Approx. number of seeds per pack: 15+
• Germination Tested after Hot Water Seed Treatment for Fungal and Bacterial Diseases

Shimofuri (霜降り) is an original creation of my gardening forum friend Applestar. a member of the Doc’s and Katie’s Xanadu and Helpful Gardener gardening forums. This is an amazing “first” that I have seen which combines both variegated leaves/stems and a hanging basket variety. But before I tell you more about Shimofuri, I must tell you more about Applestar, as she is just as amazing. Applestar is the only person I know personally who is able to create and maintain a balanced and natural ecosystem in her garden. She has a small garden that contains as much “wild” flora and fauna as that she deliberately cultivates. Her means of dealing with insect predation is to identify and encourage beneficial insects she calls her “garden patrol.” Whether a spider or a snake or a wild plant, all members of her ecosystem are welcome and live in harmony. I wish I lived close enough to visit this place.
Some time ago, Applestar made a cross of the hanging basket pink tomato Whippersnapper x the variegated “Cherokee Purple”-fruited Faelan’s First Snow. She has selected with great care over time to have the greatest amount of variegation along with lovely pointed pink fruits in a hanging basket growth pattern. The fruits are sweet, tangy, and of excellent texture. They are produced abundantly.
The name “Shimofuri,” literally “frost-fall,” is a descriptive Japanese word meaning white-streaked/spattered/speckled which Applestar believes originally referenced tie-dyed or batik’ed fabric and is now commonly used to describe marbled beef/meat and also sometimes tuna.
I grew Shimofuri in morning full shade, yet it showed spectacular variegation that stayed longer through the summer heat than any other variegated variety I have grown. There were speckles and freckles of variegation, as if I had used a paintbrush to spatter the leaves. It is rare that something so ornamental is also so delicious. For final consideration, here are my tasting notes, verbatim: “Sweet, meaty, balanced, no musk, about 0.5 oz fruits, pink fat bullets, shows nice resistance to early blight versus plants around it.”
2021: actual comments I received on the BHS Facebook page – “I have Shimofuri planted in a hanging basket – like 10″ one and I really think that size pot could handle 2 of the plants. I really like the flavor of this one and you are right – it just keeps producing! My daughter, who is studying Japanese, says it is her favorite of the 7 varieties of tomatoes she has this year.” “Another surprise star (outside) was the Shimofuri. It doesn’t just have gorgeous variegated leaves– it produced well and was quite tastie.”
NOTE: One packet per order please.